Justice Society of America #18 - A Christmas Spectacular

#18
Late December 2001

Injustice for All: Part II
by Bob Young

				Roll Call

Captain America	Sentinel	Flash	Wonder Woman	Black Canary	Dr. Fate	Dr. Mid-Nite	Sub-Mariner	Human Torch

Sentinel was surrounded by enemies. He was prepared for the battle of his life! Baron Zemo and the Enchantress had assembled a criminal army which they dubbed the Injustice Society. Eleven members of that society had taken over the mansion of Miss Venus and now they were about to kill Sentinel. Sentinel fired a blast of energy from his ring at the Demon Etrigan who amazingly leaped with surprising speed out of the line of fire. The Sentinel created a force field around himself and prepared for the onslaught.

"Kill him!" Zemo ordered. The villainous group rushed the ring-wielding hero. Solomon Grundy was the first to attack, eager to please the Enchantress with whom he was infatuated. Grundy threw a powerful punch that would have shattered concrete or steel. But the Sentinel's shield held . . . for now. Sentinel unleashed a blast of green flaming energy which knocked Grundy back several feet. Etrigan let loose with a burst of demon fire against the force field. The Enchantress added her power to the attack. The man called Culp created dark tendrils of shadow matter that snaked out and rapped themselves around the Sentinel's force field and squeezed. Grundy got back up and began to pound on the green energy shield with all his massive might. The backlash of the fierce assault caused the Sentinel to wince in pain.

"Keep it up!" Zemo said, spotting the weakness. "Destroy him!"

The Huntress fired darts at the Sentinel and Warlord Krang rammed his Trident into the shield. Icicle shot ice daggers at it. The huge Sumo whipped it with heavy kendo stick. Sentinel knew his shield couldn't hold out long against such punishment. He tried to make his protective bubble float to safety but it was held in place by the tendrils of Culp's dark powers. Sentinel was getting dizzy from the backlash of the attack. He had to do something quickly. He tried to focus his concentration to fire some energy blasts.

The Fiddler started to play. His hypnotic music caused the Sentinel to lose concentration. He couldn't summon up the will to fire his power bursts. And worse, he couldn't focus enough to keep his shield firm. It started to weaken. And the Injustice Society maintained the intensity of their offensive! The shield started to crack . . .

The Manotaur was finally defeated. The man formerly known as Von Bach had the strength of an Olympian God. He was formidable. But he was facing the combine power of Wonder Woman, Human Torch, Captain America, Bucky, Dr. Mid-Nite, Blackhawk, Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, and Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos. Against that, even the Manotaur had no chance. Wonder Woman tied the defeated man-beast up with her unbreakable lasso.

"What should be do with the Manotaur?" Dr. Mid-Nite asked.

"Can we send him to Mars?" Bucky asked.

"I wish," Cap said. "Wonder Woman. Any ideas?"

"I'll call Aphrodite," she said. "She can take the Manotaur to Hephaestus who will arrange a prison that not even he can escape. And she can also send us back to the United States."

"Good," Cap said. "Call her."

Wonder Woman kneeled and concentrated. She tried to contact Aphrodite, but her Goddess didn't answer. Hippolyta started to think she'd been abandon. But eventually Miss Venus appeared. And she didn't look happy.

"My mansion," Aphrodite said grimly. "They've taken over my mansion!"

Thomas Halloway - the Angel - regained consciousness. He was on the bottom of a stairwell to the basement. He had arrived in the mansion just before the Injustice Society did. He had come looking for Black Canary. He felt that it was time they talked. He got there and found Black Canary on duty as a liaison, waiting to hear from Cap and the European group. Before the two could begin their talk, the Injustice Society broke in. The Angel felt the change - the horrible change he feared so much - coming, but he was knocked unconscious before he could complete the transformation. The last thing he remembered was being on the top of the stairwell and being on the receiving end of a blow from Sumo. He forced himself to get up and crawl up the stairs. He moved as quietly as he could. He reached the top and peaked out. He saw the Injustice Society standing over the fallen Sentinel. Black Canary lay nearby.

"What should we do with them?" Master Man asked.

"We need to make an example of them," Zemo said. "We need to show the Americans that we are capable of destroying them! We must kill them! Now!"

"How should we do it?" Culp asked. "It oughtta be nice and bloody!"

"It should be slow, I think," Zemo said. "I have an idea."

Rival killed another person. He vibrated through the man, who exploded into a million pieces. He didn't know the man he killed, any more than he knew the others he had killed this day. This innocent guy was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rival was looking now for more victims.

Flash was just a few steps behind Rival. They had been around the world a dozen times in the last few seconds. They had started their fight in the mid-west of the USA but then Rival tried a different method. He ran, knowing that the Flash would pursue him. He proceeded to destroy property, injure and kill people, with the Flash close enough behind him to see but not able to stop him in time. He knew that each death was tearing at the Flash's heart. He wanted to make Flash careless and reckless, so that when he decided to finish the Flash off, he would be off his game.

Rival hated the Flash. He had had several names before. Identities had come and gone. He had even lost his body. He became king of the world of Fiction and even that was ruined for him. Now the Enchantress had turned his hate into a tangible thing, and used it to create a body that was almost identical to the Flash. It certainly had the same power as the Flash. Equal speed. And that was the problem the Flash was having. He was equal in speed to Rival. He could follow Rival anywhere but he couldn't overtake him. And his failure to do so was causing lives. The Flash had to end this now!

He made up some distance in Africa when they went over a few miles of rough terrain. The Flash was more used to managing his super speed over such ground. But his biggest opportunity came when Rival decided to show off and run over the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. This was the Flash's chance! Going around the mountain was certainly shorter than going over, and there was less resistance from gravity and wind. Flash circled around the mountain and met Rival coming down on the other side.

The Flash smashed fist first into Rival. Rival fell and rolled over a quarter of a mile. He struggled to his feet. The Flash rammed into him again and battered him with super-speed blows. It was only Rival's super reflexes and the aura the protected him from heat friction that saved him from being knocked unconscious. But the Flash's attack hurt. And it got Rival very, very angry.

And that was what the Flash wanted - to make Rival angry. "You're not too good at this," he said. "But then, you never were very good at anything. You keep changing identities and you stink at all of them. Well, now that I've proven that I can catch you, we know that I'm faster than you. I'm better than you at this too. You're obviously not in my league. You're no threat to me. Goodbye . . . Loser!"

Rival was beyond furious. The Flash turned and ran off at a slow pace. Rival screamed a scream of rage and pursued with the intent to kill. The Flash put on some speed and the chase was on again. This time the Flash was doing the route planning, steering clear of any innocents. He hoped that he could use his experience to trip Rival up on some tricky paths and set him up for another attack. Behind him, Rival was filled with hate and determined to get his hands on the Flash, to prove that he could catch the Flash, and to kill him with his bare hands. Rival reached deep down and tapped into speeds beyond anything he'd used so far. The Flash matched this speed. They were about to hit the speed of light. The Flash had come close to light-speed before but never this close.

Then something happened. The Flash felt strange, like this body was becoming different, lighter. And he thought he heard . . . A summoning. A voice calling, inviting him to come to another place, a place beyond the barrier of what was known. But the Flash was a married man, a man of loyalty who knew where his duty lie. He had no interest in jetting off into the unknown. He rejected the invitation and slowed down a bit.

But Rival did not. He was so obsessed with catching the Flash that he didn't notice that change in his body. He didn't hear the summoning. He just wanted to kill his enemy. His body started to transform. Too late Rival realized that he was being transformed into light. He had passed the speed of light and crossed the "speed barrier", and line that no flesh and blood man could ever cross. His body started to vanish. "Noooooo!" Rival screamed. But it was too late. Rival vanished into the unknown, not to return.

Zemo had Sentinel and Black Canary tied up. He had removed the Sentinel's ring and had gagged the Canary. The other members of the Injustice Society watched as he produced a knife. "Now, my friends. As soon as they wake up, I make a slit in their wrists. Not a large slit, but just enough for them to watch their life's blood drip out. Drop by drop they'll see their life draining away and be helpless to do anything about it. They'll feel every moment of their slow deaths. And we get to watch them die!"

Everyone laughed and cheered Zemo's clever idea. Meanwhile, the Angel was watching in horror as he saw the Canary's plight. His heart started to pound. He felt the dreaded change coming upon him. But his time he didn't fight it. This time he welcomed it. Because even though an Angel couldn't save Black Canary, maybe a Hulk could.

Miss Venus and the JSA members who had gone to Europe appeared back in Washington DC. They materialized up the street from the mansion where they were shielded by trees and shrubs. They looked at the mansion, cautiously.

"Do we know where they are situated?" Cap asked.

"I'm not sure," Miss Venus said. "There was so much going on when I left."

"Let's hit them fast and hard!" Human Torch said, worried about the Black Canary.

"No, we need a distraction," Cap said. "If we can divert their attention, we can slip in."

"But what could distract so many clever criminals?" Hippolyta asked. "It would have to be a formidable diversion!"

"What the hell is that?" Culp asked when the members of the Injustice Society heard the savage roar. They all looked with jaws dropped as the left side wall fell down. It had been knocked down. Knocked down by creature of incredible power and fury.

The Rampaging Hulk was here! The gray monster roared. "Hulk smash!"

"That creature . . . I think it's the Hulk!" Master Man said.

"Whatever yon creature is," The Enchantress said, "it must be slain!"

Sumo lunged forward and slammed his formidable weight into the Hulk. Sumo felt like he had hit a solid rock wall. He bounced back, having hurt himself and merely having annoyed the Hulk. The Hulk slapped him away casually. Icicle and the Huntress peppered him with darts that didn't pierce his impenetrable skin.

Etrigan smiled. "A beast who's savage in his own right,
offers a tempting foe for Etrigan to fight!"

The Demon spit hellfire at the Hulk. The Hulk roared in pain but he wasn't stopped. The Demon was glad it wasn't that easy. He wanted a good fight. He leaped at the Hulk. He planned to tear the Hulk's eyes out with his claws. But the Hulk recovered quicker than he expected. The Hulk caught Etrigan in the air and threw him down. He drove the demon through the floor and below the sub-basement. The Hulk continued his charge!

Miss Venus Looked distracted. "Something's happening," she said. "There's a battle going on inside. I can sense it!"

"That's the distraction we were looking for!" Cap said. "Let's move now!"

The Enchantress was starting to get unnerved by the power of the Hulk. "Solomon Grundy! Slay this beast for me!" Grundy was eager to please her. He collided with the Hulk. The two monstrous behemoths exchanged blows. The vibrations from the impact of the punches rocked the whole building. The Enchantress waved her arms. "Go monsters! Leave me! Take thy battle elsewhere!"

The two monsters vanished. The Enchantress' lips tightened. She sensed something. "Something is amiss," she said. "'Tis hard to be sure, since this place doth stink of Olympian magic, but I believe that the cursed Justice Society is here!"

"Spread out!" Zemo ordered. "Find them! I'll take care of Sentinel and the Canary."

Cap, Bucky, Hippolyta, Dr. Mid-Nite and the Torch had sneaked into the mansion. "Split up," Cap said. "Try to find the Black Canary or any other captured members. Also let's try to get a sense of what we're facing. Who they are, how many, where they are positioned . . . any piece of information is good. Everyone ready? Let's move. Good luck."

Bucky crept along the hall, nervous. He heard a sound and headed in that direction. In the main sitting room, he saw Baron Zemo about to kill Sentinel and Black Canary with a knife. Bucky picked up a piece of rubble and threw it. Zemo felt a blow to the face and dropped to the floor. Bucky quickly untied the pair and ungagged the Canary. Zemo got back up and grabbed Bucky from behind. As he wrestled Bucky to the ground, the Black Canary came to and kicked Zemo in the face. Zemo staggered back. He then ran from the room. After seeing that Bucky was okay, the Canary ran after Zemo. Bucky untied the Sentinel and woke him up. He found the Sentinel's ring and gave it back to him.

"Thanks Bucky!" Sentinel said, "Now let's find these scum!"

Flash sped back to the mansion. Before he went inside he noticed a window that had been broken. His instincts told him to enter carefully. He whizzed in through the rear door faster than the human eye could follow. He was tripped up by a tendril of Shadow Matter. He rolled to his feet and saw the man called Culp standing near, smiling.

"I been hopin' you'd pop in," Culp said. "I owes ya somethin' and I'm bloody well gonna see that you get paid in full!" Culp attacked.

The Human Torch had gotten tired of creeping around. He was desperate to find the Black Canary. He ignited his flame and took to the air. He flew quickly along the third floor of the mansion. Suddenly he saw a white barrier in front of him. It was too late to stop so he increased his flame to burned through it.

It melted. It was made of ice. The Torch suspected who his opponent was. "Icicle? Are you here?"

The Icicle appeared. "Hello again, Torch. We have some unfinished business. En Gard!"

Icicle shot some ice daggers at the Torch but they melted before they hit him. The Torch shot out a burst of flame, which the Icicle countered with a freeze ray. The two rays met and exploded into a cloud of water and steam.

"I have more experience than you, Torch," Icicle said. "I'm smarter and more vicious. You don't have a chance. You've already lost the battle! Prepare to die!"

Sentinel was sailing through the Mansion under the power of his ring, which he had regained thanks to Bucky. He told Bucky to seek safety because he didn't think that the boy was ready for this level of combat. He then proceeded to search alone. He was taken by surprise when something burst up from the basement. It bounced off the Sentinel's force field and landed on the foot of the stairs. It was Etrigan the Demon.

"The man with the ring that produces green fire, is in a dark peril most grave and dire, he faces the embodiment of evil and hate, and there is nothing you can do to escape your doomed fate!"

"Shut up and fight!" The Sentinel said and took the battle to the Demon.

Black Canary was peaking into one of the many rooms of the mansion. Behind any of these doors could be lurking Zemo, who she had chased. She also hoped to find the Angel. He was with her when the fight started but she hadn't seen him since. Where was he? Was he alive? If he wasn't, someone was going to pay dearly!

As she opened another door, she saw an arrow flying towards her. If it wasn't for her incredible reflexes and instincts, she would have been killed. As it was, the arrow sliced through her temple. She staggered back, stunned.

The Huntress appeared from the darkness and hit the Black Canary with a crossbow. The Canary fell to her knees. The Huntress pressed her attack with formidable fighting skill.

"I want you to remember the last time we met," the Huntress said. "Because I certainly do. And I've been waiting for this! I'm going to kill you slowly!"

Captain America went down to the basement. It was the darkest place and there were plenty of crates and other junk to hide behind. If someone wanted to conceal himself, this would be the best place. Cap's instincts were on full alert and he was ready for an imminent attack. He circled around the basement, checking every possible hiding spot.

A pile of crates was knocked over and fell towards Cap. He used his shield to protect himself. He knew someone had caused that collapse. Someone about to attack! Master Man leaped out of hiding and tackled Cap to the ground. Cap rolled and used his feet to kick his attacker off of him. Master Man was flung across the room but landed well. Cap rolled to his feet. The two old enemies faced off for the third time.

"Don't try it, master Man," Cap said. "I've beaten you before. I'll do it again!"

"I've been working out, American. I'm in better condition than ever. And I've brought an equalizer," Master Man said, as he held up the Japanese Kendo Fighting stick he took from Sumo after the Hulk flattened him. "Sumo showed me how to use this. I'll match it up against your shield, Herr Kapitan! Do you dare to tempt fate and battle me again?"

Cap grinned. "Gladly!" He charged Master Man.

Hippolyta used her warrior training to track her enemies. Some of them had headed to the second floor. She heard music coming from the library. She kicked open the door. The only Injustice Society member present was the Fiddler.

"Hello, Wonder Woman," he said with a confident smile, "I'm glad you're here."

"You won't be for long, villain!" she said. "Surrender or I will be forced to injure you!"

"Try it," the Fiddler said, still playing his fiddle.

Wonder Woman tried to step forward . . . but she couldn't. Her limbs wouldn't respond to her commands. "Great Aphrodite!" she gasped. "What have you done to me?"

The Fiddler continued playing as he spoke. "My fiddle is very special. It uses soundwaves as a form of hypnotic mind control. The different notes tell the victim what to do. Right now, I'm commanding your brain not to listen to you."

She struggled to resist but couldn't move. Suffering Saffo, she thought. I'm helpless!

"Don't try to fight me," he said, "I've got you and I'll do whatever I want with you!"

Nearby, Dr. Mid-Nite was hunting his enemies when he heard the music. The Fiddler! he thought. He headed toward the sound. He had mentally prepared himself for the Fiddler with self hypnosis. He looked into the library. He was shocked to see that the Fiddler was forcing Hippolyta dance for him.

Hippolyta was furious but couldn't stop herself. "I'll kill you for this!" she said as she danced.

"You'll do what I want you to do," the Fiddler said as he played. "In fact, I think you should start stripping!"

"Great Hera!" she cried. "Not that!" But even as she protested, her hands started moving to remove her clothes. As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop herself.

Dr. Mid-Nite had seen enough and leaped into the room. "Let her go! Deal with me!"

"Another one," the Fiddler laughed. "Another servant. You won't be as much fun as Wonder Woman, but I can find a use for you." The Fiddler tried to order Dr. Mid-Nite to freeze but nothing happened.

The Fiddler was shocked. This is not good! He decided to change his strategy . . . and tune! He used his power to command Wonder Woman to attack Dr. Mid-Nite.

"Look out!" she warned him. "I can't stop myself!"

Dr. Mid-Nite knew that he only evaded the Amazon's blow because she was resisting, slowing herself down. But sooner or later, she'd connect. Dr. Mid-Nite whistled. Suddenly Hooty, his trained owl, swooped in and raked the Fiddler in the face. The Fiddler screamed. Clutching his face, he dropped the fiddle. Dr. Mid-Nite grabbed the fiddle and destroyed it. Hooty landed on his shoulder. "Good girl," he said to the owl.

Wonder Woman regained control of herself. She grabbed the Fiddler and slammed him through the wall. "Cretin!" She then looked to Dr. Mid-Nite. "Thank you."

The front door to the mansion opened. It was Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner. After a long talk with his brother, Aquaman, he had reluctantly decided to return to the JSA. He was dreading facing Hippolyta. But his thoughts of embarrassment vanished when he saw the wreckage inside the mansion. Sumo was laying unconscious on the floor. The sounds of battle could be heard from all over. The JSA was in danger!

Namor ducked into the yard to douse himself in the pool before he began his battle. Suddenly a net popped out of the water, engulfing him. He fell into the pool, entangled. He saw Warlord Krang in the pool, about to impale him with his Trident!

"Die, Namor! Die!" Krang yelled gleefully!

Bucky heard a noise behind him. He turned and saw the Enchantress. At first he reacted as most men do . . . with lustful awe. But then he remembered what she had done to him, turning him against Cap. "Why little conniving little minx!" he yelled. He grabbed a piece of broken furniture and rushed her. She could have used her charms to seduce him again, but she couldn't be bothered. "Away, little flea!" With a casual gesture, she put him to sleep. He wasn't worth killing.

But suddenly she wasn't alone. Her old rival Aphrodite had appeared. "Hello again, Enchantress," Miss Venus said. "You're looking as gruesome as ever."

The Enchantress scowled. "I will now prove that my powers art as far superior to thine as is my beauty!" The two beautiful Goddesses did battle.

Master Man was being battered. His Kendo stick had broken and Cap was clobbering him. As the two fought, baron Zemo crept into the basement. He tried to get Cap from behind. But Master Man fell before Zemo could intervene.

Cap had a sixth sense about being attacked from behind. He spun around. He knew someone was there. "Oh, it's you Zemo! I thought you were dead!

Zemo was filled with hate at the sight of the Captain. He pulled out his dueling sword. "I almost was. I have thought about nothing but revenge these past months. Now, it is at hand. Tonight, I spill the blood of America!"

The Enchantress and Miss Venus were locked in combat, when a bright light distracted them both. A hole in the air opened and out of it came Dr. Fate. The Enchantress gasped. She had trapped Dr. Fate in the shadow realm. How had he escaped?

"A good try, Amora!" he said to the Enchantress. "But you forget that shadows retreat from the light. And with my amulet, I have the light of justice. The power to burn a hole through the fabric of the shadow universe. It took some considerable time, but no darkness can long withstand the power of light."

Dr. Fate was about to assist Venus in attacking the Enchantress. But Enchantress wasn't about to give them the chance. She waved her hands and started to vanish. "I go!" she said angrily. "But thou hast not heard the last of the Enchantress!"

After she was gone, Dr. Fate used his mystic power to see what else was going on in the mansion, all at one:

< The Flash has used his lightning speed to get the advantage on Culp. Culp was learning again why the Shade, who had the same Shadow power as Culp, had been defeated so often by the Flash. Culp was getting a beating. "I've had enough of this!" Culp snapped, and retreated to the Shadow realm. >

< The Sentinel was blasting Etrigan with the Starheart energy of his ring. Etrigan fell. His claws and flame had been unable to pierce the Sentinel's defenses. The Sentinel encased him in an unbreakable green energy globe.

"It seems that I'm undone this night,
but in the future Etrigan will avenge this slight!" the Demon said. Muttering a quiet incantation, the Demon vanished, returning to Hell! >

< The Human Torch had the Icicle on the run. The Torch's flame had heated the hall up so much that the Icicle could barely stand it. It was like fighting in an oven. He had to retreat or collapse from the heat. The Torch threw fireballs to make sure that the Icicle kept running. Once outside, the Icicle had a bad feeling. He decided to keep running. He didn't look back. >

< The Huntress had the advantage on the stunned Black Canary. Or so she thought. She hadn't reckoned with the Canary's new power . . . The Sonic Scream! The Canary unleashed the scream and the Huntress staggered away, clutching her ears. This gave the Canary time to recover. She used her martial Arts skills to defeat the dazed Huntress. >

< Krang was about to impale the entangled Namor with a Trident, but Namor broke free of the net just in time. He grabbed the Trident before it could pierce his skin. He wrestled it away from Krang and broke it. He sneered hatefully at Krang, who was obviously scared to death. Namor had recently failed in a mission to capture Krang. Now, he could make up for that failure. "And now Krang, face justice at last!" Namor pounded mercilessly on Krang. The outcome was never in doubt. >

< Captain America had disarmed Zemo. Without the sword, Zemo was being knocked all over the basement by Cap.

"Damn you!" Zemo cried out. "Curse you and your country!"

"Curse us all you want, Zemo. That's all the satisfaction you'll get. Because America will never be beaten by you despicable Nazis, and I will never be beaten by the likes of you!"

Zemo was about to fall, when a hand appeared out of nowhere. It was the hand of the Enchantress, reaching out from another realm. "Come, Baron Zemo. The Enchantress may have need of thee again!" The Goddess' disembodied voice said.

She transported Zemo away. Cap gritted his teeth in anger. "Damn it!" >

. . . Dr. Fate nodded to Miss Venus. "All is well. The battle is over."

Miles away, in a mountainous region, the Hulk had achieved another victory. He had outpowered the mighty Solomon Grundy. The Hulk roared with Triumph, and headed away, to look for food. As Grundy lay there, unconscious, the Enchantress appeared. "Come with me, Grundy. I still have use for thee." They vanished.

The next day: December 23, 1942 . . .

Miss Venus had arranged an early Christmas dinner for the JSA. They all attended. Even the Angel showed up, much to the Black Canary's relief, and the Torch's chagrin. Namor sat next to Hippolyta. He apologized for leaving. She forgave him and said they could talk later.

Cap stood up. "Before we eat, I have a present to give to my young friend, Bucky."

Bucky looked surprised as he took his gift. He opened it. He was aghast and delighted. It was the costume of the Star-Spangled Kid.

"Your training is finished, kiddo," Cap said. "You've exceeded my expectations. Saving the Sentinel and Black Canary was the last proof I needed. You're ready to become the Star-Spangled Kid . . . my partner!"

Everyone applauded. Black Canary kissed him. "Congratulations," she said. "And thanks for saving me, Star-Spangled Kid."

Bucky blushed. This was the greatest moment of his life. "Thank you. Thanks everyone. I won't let you down. I promise!"

"I know you won't," Cap said, "You'll be another fine addition to the team. One year ago this month, the JSA was formed. And it just keeps getting better. Long live the JSA!"

The End
Merry Christmas!
Next: The JSA goes to Counter Earth and gets involved in a three-way war with the Squadron Supreme and the Crime Syndicate. The Rampaging Hulk and the mysterious Johnny Sorrow are also on hand to complicate things. Don't miss Justice Society of America Annual #2.